Handbook: California
The Golden State is the stuff of dreams, from fodder for Led Zeppelin tunes to young people dreaming of becoming stars, either in Hollywood or Silicon Valley.
We’re in love with California for its vast natural landscapes. The Redwoods poking through coastal fog, Sequoias brilliant against Yosemite, Mount Whitney in the Eastern Sierras, the deserts in the south where Joshua Trees dance…California has just about everything and enough space for us all to still enjoy it.
Featured Articles on California
I Left My Heart on the 395: Guide to the Eastern Sierras
From Lone Pine to Lee Vining, Mono Lake to Mt. Whitney, we cover where to find the best hot springs, campgrounds, restaurants and more.
Joshua Trees
Photographs and facts about Joshua trees, Joshua Tree National Park, and other plants of the Mojave Desert.
Coastal Redwoods
Exploring the tallest trees in the world via Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and the rest of California’s northern coast.
Massive Sequoias
Stories of the men behind this forest, the trees that dwarf them, and the National Park they call home. Photos.
Ancient Bristlecones
The story of a young scientist, his ax, and a 5,000 year old tree.
Traveling the Eastern Sierras via US 395
Len Wilcox drives us up the 395, a US Highway that borders the Eastern Sierras in California.
More Articles About California
Bad to Güd: Life Lessons From a Fifty-Two Day Road Trip
A retired couple experiences life away from their 4000 square foot home on a pilgrimage to discover life in general via their Roadtrek Class B RV.
Southern California Highway 15, Heading East Toward Nevada
Joel Serot travels the nation with no plans except, literally, to “stop at the brown signs.”
Eight Stunning National Parks in the US to Revisit
From well-known spots like Zion to wildlife refuges where you’ll have the place all to yourself (except for the eagles!), a hopeful look at 2021 being the summer of adventure.
The Ins & Outs of Life as a Workamper
Experienced workampers share what the life is like, from how much you’ll get paid and types of jobs you’ll do to whether you need a specific type of RV or specific experience.
All the National Monuments with Camping
State-by-state guide to national monuments, some of the best kept secrets in the United States, and specifically those with camping within their boundaries.
Beach Camping on our National Seashores and Lakeshores
National parks on America’s lakes and seas, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Best BLM Camping in the American West
The wild open wilderness of every American’s backyard. Notes on cell coverage, specific sites in each state, photos and general vibe included.
Best Wineries to Visit via RV
New York, California and more – a wine lovers guide to RV destinations.
Discover These RV-Friendly Golf Courses In North America For A Quick Family Tee Time
Golf courses with RV parks attached – a golf lover’s guide to RV destinations.
The Most Beautiful Free Desert Camping in the Southwestern United States
Exploring some of the lesser-known, most gorgeous areas to camp completely free in the Southwestern United States. Includes links to actual camping spots on Campendium and info on flora, fauna and natural surroundings for each place.
The Best Drives in the United States
Thirteen of our favorite drives, and places to camp and explore, in the United States. Includes drives in VT, TX, UT, WA, CA, OR, CO, NE and more!
Snowbirding Defined
The best places to survive the winter in your RV, including temperatures and pricing across California, Arizona, Texas and Florida.
California Trees
An introduction to Wand´rly Magazine´s issue on the trees of California and the amazing locations where they reside. Sequoia National Park, Redwoods National and State Parks, Joshua Tree and the Eastern Sierras.
Avenue of the Giants
W. Anderson, our resident storyteller, tells the tale of a man on his bicycle seeking freedom and finding…well, a wolfman?
Blog Posts About California
So Long, Eastern Sierras…
To launch full force from the Eastern Sierras and into Tahoe sets a standard of experience higher than most acts would care to follow. Utterly dazzling are the open desert stretches melding into small town hellos and climbing through Pinyon forests, into Jeffrey pines and arriving at the pinnacle of it all, the pristine Lake […]
Greetings from Mono Lake!
A pristine turquoise lake, the Sierras as the backdrop and a perfect boondocking spot to serve as base camp for it all.
Greetings from Tioga Pass in Sunny Yosemite!
Leaning into Yosemite from the Eastern Sierras, living among the national forests that line this slice of California’s most beautiful stretch of road along US 395.
Greetings from the Ancient Bristlecone Pines!
Meeting the eldest life on earth, and the snowstorm they served us as a greeting.
In the Rain Shadow of Mount Whitney
The campgrounds, weather and daily living off a family exploring the Owens Valley, the Eastern Sierras, and especially Mt. Whitney.
Pondering California
Finding the real treasures of the Golden State.
Greetings from Joshua Tree National Park!
It’s a Dr. Seuss kind of world where everything is a bit extraordinary. Trees with mop top leaves and shaggy bark clothing, scroungy coyotes and boulders like toppled over sandcastles. And plenty of space to be free.
Migrations of Winter
I’ve had six winters to weather since this traveling lifestyle began. The first was slowly zig zagging from Austin, Texas to Arizona and back to West Texas. That was my rookie year and so yes, I was a fortunate snowbirder roaming a particularly warm southwestern ease in a Class C Dutchman that while was not […]
Greetings from Mt. Whitney in the Eastern Sierras
Meeting great friends to climb rocks in the Alabama Hills while the tallest peak in these Lower 48 towers above us all.
Greetings from the Sequoias
Becoming better naturalists as we study the variety of trees and life living amongst General Sherman and his Giant Forest.
Greetings from Yosemite and the Sierras
Studying the trees, waterfalls and granite slab history of Yosemite Valley and the Hetch Hetchy.
The Other California
From the fog smoking, cracked egg shell islands lined with dinosaur skin Sitkas and dripping dewy daily moisture Redwoods of the northwest, the pot growing latest generation of liberals lining 101, their thumbs pointed to the sky, to the mountains clad in desert regalia, pine needle pointy big blue sky days of the western mountains, […]
The Long Shadow of Winter
As this rolling globe of rock and flame continues along it’s annual migration ’round the sun, that blazing god of heat, light and life begins to rise higher into our blue sky. Spring is just around the bend, and I have just turned 35. In Winter, the sun is lower on the horizon. We get […]
Standing Tall
Around a fire, in the nighttime haze of Northern California’s Coast, a man ponders the propensity of a felled redwood.
Greetings from the Redwoods
The towering oomph of the Coastal Redwoods of Northern California never cease to amaze.
Greetings from Brookings, Oregon
Not to be confused with the city in South Dakota, wall high crashing waves ever desperate to reach the streets of this small town prove exactly the opposite of that similarly named high desert truck stop way back in the plains.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Sleeping on a lava giant.
Bakersfield, CA
Having embarked on a train voyage from fair Portland to the mountain village of Flagstaff, AZ — where I will spend nearly a week alone — we decided to take a solid day’s rest at LaQuinta Inn, Bakersfield, California. The summer has been squeezing record sweat out of Americans all across the lower 48, but […]
Hop Train
The hum of the buses engine, the manmade chill of the air conditioner, the blasting sun blinding through my sunglasses, and the serenity of a nearly empty bus that will take me from Truckee, California to Portland over the next two days is my official last experience in the Lake Tahoe Blue for the summer. […]
Two Paths You Can Go Back, but in the Long Run
As we hopped state lines like schoolyard jump ropes these past few days, I was continually drawn to memories of the passing Pittsburgh summer mixed with the anticipation of West Coast adventure. Originally, this roadtrip was to be a reunion of my old high school skate crew; two of them still living close to home […]